BB: I am so glad you "wrote up" The Glitz! Some of you may be aware that my husband and I make a trip to Beaumont Inn in Harrodsburg, KY at least once and usually twice a year, and I usually write up a trip report about it. Beaumont Inn is about half an hour's drive from Lexington. (That's how we went to the Parkette, and I agree with you, BB, that the neon sign is much better than the food!)

Anyway, years ago when we were at Beaumont Inn we went to lunch at the now-defunct Murphy's at the River (no relation to Hall's on the River), which was written up in one of the early Roadfood books. This was the place that decorated the restaurant with dyed catfish skeletons. It had good food with excellent homemade dinner rolls. The waitress told us that we had to go to what sounded like "Sree Shakers" -- and it turned out what she meant was Irish Acres. It has quite a collection of antiques in its themed rooms, though I agree it is pricy. We didn't lunch at The Glitz, but we peeked in, and it looked spectacular, as your photos demonstrate.

rumaki- Thanks so much for sharing that story. If you do decided to eat at The Glitz next time around Lexington, I would love to hear what you thought of the place. More than a little disappointed we never made it to Murphy's on the River. Those dyed catfish could either be kitschy or creepy.

Another unusual place we really enjoyed was Taste and See in Wichita. The location inside a former mall throws you off and they have a huge mural of Alice in Wonderland across the hall from the restaurant. The space itself is quite large. We were originally seated at a table against the wall, but we quickly requested to move to counter seats to watch the action.

The restaurant bills itself as an international fusion global cuisine. Since we were there for lunch, we decided to concentrate on the tapas menu, since we much prefer to have smaller portions of several dishes than one or two big entrees. The menu is very helpful in not only giving detailed descriptions of each dish, but telling you what part of the world the dishes originate. We started with chupe, a South American chowder with chicken, corn, cilantro, panelo cheese and coconut milk. Among the other dishes we enjoyed was tostones from Puerto Rico, tequenos, inside an excellent puff pastry and a ceviche cocktail.To drink, refreshing infused water, with watermelon, lemon and cucumbers.

The interaction with the friendly staff was a real highlight. This is Alejandra, who prepared our dishes right in front of us. She told us she has been working in kitchens all her life, since her mother owns a restaurant back in Chihuahua, Mexico. Actually, the entire staff does a great job of chatting with customers and answering questions. Taste and See also offers cooking classes and there are televisions set up so that people who aren't sitting at the counter, can watch the food being prepared on monitors though out the restaurant.

Davidsanders- I was just ribbing my buddy ChiTownDiner with the 300 restaurants exaggeration, though at times it feels that way. The lengths of the trips vary, but most of them are over a weekend. And thank you so much for the kind words.

Davidsanders- I was just ribbing my buddy ChiTownDiner with the 300 restaurants exaggeration, though at times it feels that way. The lengths of the trips vary, but most of them are over a weekend. And thank you so much for the kind words.

BB: I recall you or CTD posting about 300 restaurants and I believed you. Sorta glad to hear that it was a mega exaggeration but just as a thought, how many on a typical trip. I know that it is a lot and I certainly enjoy your trip reports.

Well, now you have me curious. I am a cellist with the Chicago Symphony (finishing my 40th year) and will be taking a sabbatical next season. One of my plans is to go on three or four eating tours, including, for the first time, Texas. However, I've narrowed down the number of restaurants I would like to try to about 28, but since I don't want to be away for more than about six or seven days, I don't know how to approach this. How do I decide which of the four in Austin and the however many in Lockhart to leave out? Any suggestions would be greatly welcome.

Hi David - Traveling with a small group really allows you to experience more restaurant stops as you can share a lot of items. The optimal group for me is 3 - 5, and even in a large group like a bus tour, you usually end up sharing with your tablemates which often numbers 3 - 5! Will you be traveling alone or with a group? Depending on your stops, some may play a smaller role as in a donut shop, ice cream store or a candy shop. This allows for smaller quantities while still experiencing the ambience of the destination. BBQ stops present a whole new challenge as you usually want to sample several meats, sides and cobblers! Let me know your group size and I'll reply back. Separately...congratulations on a distinguished 40 year career with one of the great symphonies of the world! By any chance did you ever cross paths with a pianist by the name of Melody Lord?

My group will be a group of one, just me. Although for my trip coming up in April, two of the days I will be joined by a friend. But I'm pretty sure Texas will be just me. I've been doing OK with NC barbecue because I can generally do with a sandwich or plate of barbecue. I'm worried about Texas (and some of the other places I'm hoping to go) where they will have brisket and ribs (and beef ribs) as well as chopped or pulled pork.

I remember Melody. Didn't she marry a clarinet player and start using his name as well? I'm remembering Karner, but that might not be right. I think I might have played something with her at one time, but it was certainly decades ago.

ChiTownDiner

Hi David - Traveling with a small group really allows you to experience more restaurant stops as you can share a lot of items. The optimal group for me is 3 - 5, and even in a large group like a bus tour, you usually end up sharing with your tablemates which often numbers 3 - 5! Will you be traveling alone or with a group? Depending on your stops, some may play a smaller role as in a donut shop, ice cream store or a candy shop. This allows for smaller quantities while still experiencing the ambience of the destination. BBQ stops present a whole new challenge as you usually want to sample several meats, sides and cobblers! Let me know your group size and I'll reply back. Separately...congratulations on a distinguished 40 year career with one of the great symphonies of the world! By any chance did you ever cross paths with a pianist by the name of Melody Lord?

David - Table for one means a lot less capacity and you'll have to exercise caution while enjoying as many places as possible...I would consider...Austin - Hoover's Cooking - a great (one of my favs) alternative to BBQ Hut's Hamburgers Kolache Factory or The Big Kolache - both of these provide a different kolache than Chicago style, make sure to try the savory versions The Salt Lick - bbq

Lockart - Kreutz, Smitty's, Black's - all three have superb BBQ...love 'em all

To the North - Round Rock Donuts in Round Rock and Louis Mueller's in Taylor are an easy pairing. Hope this helps...

My group will be a group of one, just me. Although for my trip coming up in April, two of the days I will be joined by a friend. But I'm pretty sure Texas will be just me. I've been doing OK with NC barbecue because I can generally do with a sandwich or plate of barbecue. I'm worried about Texas (and some of the other places I'm hoping to go) where they will have brisket and ribs (and beef ribs) as well as chopped or pulled pork.

I remember Melody. Didn't she marry a clarinet player and start using his name as well? I'm remembering Karner, but that might not be right. I think I might have played something with her at one time, but it was certainly decades ago.

ChiTownDiner

Hi David - Traveling with a small group really allows you to experience more restaurant stops as you can share a lot of items. The optimal group for me is 3 - 5, and even in a large group like a bus tour, you usually end up sharing with your tablemates which often numbers 3 - 5! Will you be traveling alone or with a group? Depending on your stops, some may play a smaller role as in a donut shop, ice cream store or a candy shop. This allows for smaller quantities while still experiencing the ambience of the destination. BBQ stops present a whole new challenge as you usually want to sample several meats, sides and cobblers! Let me know your group size and I'll reply back. Separately...congratulations on a distinguished 40 year career with one of the great symphonies of the world! By any chance did you ever cross paths with a pianist by the name of Melody Lord?

Thanks for the hints. (I'll take a look at the documentary about Melody tomorrow. I don't think I knew she had died. I'll ask Gary about it.)

So, my possibles for Texas are as follows (I'm a little embarrassed to put down so many.) Any advice would be appreciated. I probably need to remove at least 6-10. I just don't think I'll have the time.

David - Table for one means a lot less capacity and you'll have to exercise caution while enjoying as many places as possible...I would consider... Austin - Hoover's Cooking - a great (one of my favs) alternative to BBQ Hut's Hamburgers Kolache Factory or The Big Kolache - both of these provide a different kolache than Chicago style, make sure to try the savory versions The Salt Lick - bbq

Lockart - Kreutz, Smitty's, Black's - all three have superb BBQ...love 'em all

To the North - Round Rock Donuts in Round Rock and Louis Mueller's in Taylor are an easy pairing. Hope this helps...

My group will be a group of one, just me. Although for my trip coming up in April, two of the days I will be joined by a friend. But I'm pretty sure Texas will be just me. I've been doing OK with NC barbecue because I can generally do with a sandwich or plate of barbecue. I'm worried about Texas (and some of the other places I'm hoping to go) where they will have brisket and ribs (and beef ribs) as well as chopped or pulled pork.

I remember Melody. Didn't she marry a clarinet player and start using his name as well? I'm remembering Karner, but that might not be right. I think I might have played something with her at one time, but it was certainly decades ago.

ChiTownDiner

Hi David - Traveling with a small group really allows you to experience more restaurant stops as you can share a lot of items. The optimal group for me is 3 - 5, and even in a large group like a bus tour, you usually end up sharing with your tablemates which often numbers 3 - 5! Will you be traveling alone or with a group? Depending on your stops, some may play a smaller role as in a donut shop, ice cream store or a candy shop. This allows for smaller quantities while still experiencing the ambience of the destination. BBQ stops present a whole new challenge as you usually want to sample several meats, sides and cobblers! Let me know your group size and I'll reply back. Separately...congratulations on a distinguished 40 year career with one of the great symphonies of the world! By any chance did you ever cross paths with a pianist by the name of Melody Lord?

Davidsanders So, my possibles for Texas are as follows (I'm a little embarrassed to put down so many.) Any advice would be appreciated. I probably need to remove at least 6-10. I just don't think I'll have the time.

All the Austin ones are good (as is Micklethwait), but expect long, long, long lines.

Snow's you have to build your itinerary around, due to the limited hours. Last time I did them, I did a giant L: Snows, then City Meat Market in Giddings, and then over to Luling. A lot of driving, but you are already committed to a bit of driving for Snow's.

Thanks for the hints. (I'll take a look at the documentary about Melody tomorrow. I don't think I knew she had died. I'll ask Gary about it.)

So, my possibles for Texas are as follows (I'm a little embarrassed to put down so many.) Any advice would be appreciated. I probably need to remove at least 6-10. I just don't think I'll have the time.

David - Table for one means a lot less capacity and you'll have to exercise caution while enjoying as many places as possible...I would consider... Austin - Hoover's Cooking - a great (one of my favs) alternative to BBQ Hut's Hamburgers Kolache Factory or The Big Kolache - both of these provide a different kolache than Chicago style, make sure to try the savory versions The Salt Lick - bbq

Lockart - Kreutz, Smitty's, Black's - all three have superb BBQ...love 'em all

To the North - Round Rock Donuts in Round Rock and Louis Mueller's in Taylor are an easy pairing. Hope this helps...

My group will be a group of one, just me. Although for my trip coming up in April, two of the days I will be joined by a friend. But I'm pretty sure Texas will be just me. I've been doing OK with NC barbecue because I can generally do with a sandwich or plate of barbecue. I'm worried about Texas (and some of the other places I'm hoping to go) where they will have brisket and ribs (and beef ribs) as well as chopped or pulled pork.

I remember Melody. Didn't she marry a clarinet player and start using his name as well? I'm remembering Karner, but that might not be right. I think I might have played something with her at one time, but it was certainly decades ago.

ChiTownDiner

Hi David - Traveling with a small group really allows you to experience more restaurant stops as you can share a lot of items. The optimal group for me is 3 - 5, and even in a large group like a bus tour, you usually end up sharing with your tablemates which often numbers 3 - 5! Will you be traveling alone or with a group? Depending on your stops, some may play a smaller role as in a donut shop, ice cream store or a candy shop. This allows for smaller quantities while still experiencing the ambience of the destination. BBQ stops present a whole new challenge as you usually want to sample several meats, sides and cobblers! Let me know your group size and I'll reply back. Separately...congratulations on a distinguished 40 year career with one of the great symphonies of the world! By any chance did you ever cross paths with a pianist by the name of Melody Lord?

Angelo's in Fort Worth was not good at all, downright disappointing...if you're going through Oklahoma City, then Leo's BBQ is a must (well, it was 11 years ago, the last time I visited)

I made a recommendation to Davidsanders that he start a thread for his Texas BBQ trip, which he was kind enough to do so. It can be found here. He should be able to get many more responses there and we can keep this thread on topic.